Alternative Energy Questions - Jessica Smart1. Why are alternative energy sources becoming more important in today's world? In today's world, we are starting to notice how valuable alternative energy sources really are and the benefits they bring us. We have noticed that they not only help our economy but also the environment, because renewable sources have a low impact on the environment, they are clean, abundant and provide access to more jobs (this includes production plant, processes and repairs). 2. Why don't alternative energy sources such as wind or solar represent a larger share of our country's energy production? What needs to change for these energy sources to become more important? For our country, alternative energy sources are not part of our total energy because we have an abundant supply of other energy sources such as oil and natural gas. The majority of Canadians do not turn to alternative sources like wind or solar because we have a large amount of reliable non-renewable sources that we are familiar and comfortable with. To reduce the overall amount of non-renewable energy sources we consume, we must realize that changing our daily living habits will benefit ourselves and our environment. To do this, we must not rely on oil or natural gas and start relying on other sources such as solar or wind power.3. What are the effects of using non-renewable energy sources, such as burning coal to produce electricity, on the local environment? What are the effects of coal burning on a global scale? Burning coal to produce electricity for a local environment can have negative environmental consequences that can be unpleasant; this may include loss of ground due to the middle of the paper......different cords, power source - potatoes, and even what I was actually powering - LED) and nothing seemed to work.7. How could your model have been improved? If you could do it again, what would you change? To improve my model, the amperage would have to be present. The potatoes were able to create enough voltage to power an LED (about 0.6 volts/potato) and by connecting more potatoes it generated even more power. But one thing that was missing to power the LED and other devices I was using (like a clock, watch, and mp3 player) was amperage. The reason I chose to power an object using potatoes is because it has been said that it can be done, there are different videos and methods to do it. So if I were to do this experiment again, I would probably use information from more people and try different techniques and methods to see if it's really possible..